A Diary of a Young Mufasa: Book 3
by Tigura
Summary: The last pages of Mufasa's life have been unearthed... Chapter 4, Entry 319 uploaded!
1. Entry 281: Out From Shadow

FROM THE AUTHOR

_I wouldn't recommend reading this book before Books 1 and 2. This is the final book of the entire "A Diary of a Young Mufasa" trilogy. I would like to thank all who read and enjoyed this story. I had no regrets in writing this story, so it's sad that it will finally end. But, all good things must come to an end, after all. This book will be released alongside my special "4th" book, 'A Diary of a Young Mufasa: Another's Point of View.' So, be sure to interchange between them. Enjoy!_

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**_Entry 281: "Out From Shadow"_**

_"Whatever could be out there?"_

That question kept repeating in my mind. Whenever I stop to think, I always left to wonder. I was staring out in the horizon in a thoughtful daze several times. Sometimes, someone had to nudge me to wake me. I knew this distraction had potential to threaten my life, but I couldn't get over these…urges.

I was out on patrol today with my companion, Zazu, flying over me. We were passing the eastern canyons, and they seemed so calm and placid that we decided not to stay any longer. But, as I took one step, I looked back toward them. No, I was looking _beyond_ them. I was staring out into the faraway horizon, and I felt it tugging my arms to bring me closer and closer. I felt like I was being drawn to it. "Sire! Sire, there's nothing out there!" Who was that? Oh, how could I forget? I found Zazu hovering before me with a concerned look over his face. "I've called you five times, and you didn't answer. I was beginning to worry," he said.

"Forgive me. I was on Cloud 9," I grinned.

"You've been doing this for the last three days. Are you sick?"

I tried to explain. "I don't know exactly. But…something out _there_…fascinates me. I've always lived here in the Pridelands. But, lately…there's something about the outside world that sparks my interest. There had been few situations when I crossed over the borderlands: the Forbidden Cavern, the Destinylands, the Shadowlands, and even an old, abandoned human church where I fought Ru-gal. But, I want to see more."

"I…can't say that I think the same way you do," Zazu looked away in shame.

"I know. I am the king, and I have a responsibility to maintain and a land and its people to protect. But…something tells me there's something I can find out there that I can't here…and more."

I sighed in defeat. "But, that's all a foolish dreamer's ramblings. Let's go, Zazu." With that, I proceeded to walk into the wet lands of small rivers. As long as I'm king, I could not risk thinking about something so distracting. But, I was unable to shake off this powerful desire. That question kept repeating in my mind. What was out there? And if I found the chance to go out there one day, what would I find that would change everything about me?

After I sent Zazu off to patrol the borders for any mischievous intrusions, I decided to rest under the black shade of a tree near a vacant watering hole. As I lied comfortably on the grassy floor, slumber quickly mounted over me. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier as well as my body. Finally, I began to drift into a lazy rest. There was nothing important going on for the moment, so why couldn't I sleep for even a short while? Let me sleep for now…peacefully…without any interruptions...

_…A gentle sound of a lullaby stirred in my ears as I slept. As I nestled myself to a more comfortable position to rest, I didn't recognize the floor I had lain upon. It felt like a bed of flowers blossoming around me. I briefly pulled away from my slumber. As I stood back up in the red, pink, and white blossoms, I stretched and yawned with a silent and soundless yawn. I presented no reaction to my appearance, but familiar white wings were spread across my back and my fur were the color of the clouds above me. Once again, I was the white lion, a link to my past life._

_There was no sound. There was nothing but the lullaby in the background. Gorgeous, emerald blades dressing the ground were caught in soft gusts of quiet wind. As I walked through it, I stopped to sniff one of those lovely roses dear Ashleigh cherished. Suddenly, many lionesses appeared from the invisible wind and surrounded me. They were white, just like me. Everyone was drawn to my giant wings while two lionesses were each at one side of me, kissing me over my muzzle with a tender wisp of their wet tongues. They shared my scent. They were my pride._

_White feathers dispersed as I quickly took flight into the skies. As the winds carried me by my powerful wings, I soared through the soft clouds of the heavens. I never realized the ecstasy my bird friend consumed until now. Quickly pulling up through the cool air, I was free to experience the joy of flight. I could do anything here, I thought. I guess if I let Vumi 'purify' the world, this would be the world I desired. This was paradise…eternal life free from the beast…_

I felt the rays of afternoon light bask over me. It was time to wake up, but I preferred to stay put and rest a bit more. But, I felt something soft feel over my muzzle and flick over my whiskers. I knew who that was, so I didn't bother to open my eyes. "What are you doing, dearest?"

"Just watching you sleep."

Listening to that cheerful voice finally opened my eyes to see my lovely Sarabi lying in front of me. "How long was I out?" I yawned.

"No idea. I just got here."

"How's our little boy?"

"He's beginning to walk better. I left him with Anasa so I could come out and find you."

I yawned once more as I stared at the sapphire skies above me. Looking at it reminded me of the whimsical flight I had. I purred, "I had such a wonderful dream. Pure bliss, it was. I just wished that you were there to see that gorgeous paradise. It was almost like how we lived…only as white lions. I even experienced flight like Zazu always does. Now, I see why he cherishes his gift so much."

"That sounds like a splendid dream. I wouldn't mind seeing you as a white lion again. You were so beautiful."

I chuckled, "What, you don't think I do _now_?"

"Yellow is _always_ your best color."

"There's also one other thing. There was something in my dream that I felt even now."

"What's that?"

"The beast…I can't feel it within me anymore. As I was fighting Vumi, I still felt that awesome rage inside of me. But, after I vanquished him, it simply…disappeared."

"Hmm. Maybe Vumi's 'purification' worked after all. Maybe when you entered Cerberus' flames, it extinguished what was left of the vilest side of you for good."

"You may be right. I guess we'll never know."

"It's not a bad thing, is it?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. At least you never have to worry about the beast ever again."

I finally stood up on my feet and stretched tightly as Sarabi also rose to her feet. She purred tenderly, "Mufasa, I want to show you something. I know you haven't gone to that place in so long, but you _must_ see it now."

"What is it?"

She winked, "It's a surprise."

I grinned suspiciously at the coy lioness. What could she be up to, I wondered? "All right, lead the way," I said. With a warmhearted smile, Sarabi turned away and ran off with me nipping at her heels, following her to the borders of the Pridelands.

I remembered this pathway Sarabi was leading me into. We were in a cave just outside the border. Glowing fireflies streaked across the ceiling to bring light reflecting off the walls made of crystal. I've been here before. It was this place where my troublesome ordeals in the past began. It was here that I met the lovely Ombwiri. This was the 'Forbidden Caverns.'

We almost reached the end of the crystal entrance. But, Sarabi briefly stopped in her tracks and turned to me. "Hey, why don't you close your eyes?"

"Huh?"

"It's a surprise, remember?"

This sounded all too familiar. But, I played along and shut my eyes. "Okay, follow my voice." I was blind at the moment, but my acute hearing followed Sarabi's voice and I continued following her. After a few more moments, I felt the light of the sun bask over me. We must be standing over the mountain ledge at the end. But, there was something different. Seeding through my paws was small blades of grass. It was nothing but a stone floor before. I felt Sarabi nuzzled against me at my right side, and she purred, "Okay. Open them." I did, and I gasped at the sight I saw before me.

That wasteland Ombwiri's spirit left behind met a new evolution. The land beamed with green shades of grass and leaves from trees. There were even gorgeous flowers all around that shared similar colors like the ones from my dream. And three clear, starry pools of water were to the west, the north, and the east of the land, next to silver-coated boulders that shimmered as much as the water. There were few birds scaling the skies while a minority of gazelles and antelope grazed over the land. Gnus in the distance traveled out beyond the land to the north, and diminutive beetles hung from the giant leaves in the trees. With the great blue sky in the background, this place looked much brighter than it once was when Ombwiri was here. But, this looked more realistic than that old illusion, so full of life. Its awesome beauty was breathtaking. "Wow," I purred. "I've forgotten how many years it was since I last came here. It had a lot of time to grow."

"Is it like your dream?"

"Even better. Thank you so much for showing me this."

"It's hardly a 'Forbidden Cavern' anymore, huh?"

"Because of the small population, not many know about this place. It's more of a…'Hidden Garden.'"

"We're never too old to play little cub games, are we?"

Then, Sarabi quickly went to the pathway leading down into the forest with that cheerful laugh of hers. I smiled and quickly went after her.

Under the dark shades from the tall trees, I chased after my nimble wife. She often turned around and stood on her hind legs along with me as we playfully pawed each other. We leapt around and over one another while I was still trying to catch her. As we ran out into the clear and bright grassland, Sarabi and I dashed up a moderately tall hill. She gradually increased her running pace to outrun me, but I kept going because I knew I'd eventually catch her. As we reached the top, I saw her run behind a boulder protruding out the other side of the hill. I turned around and ran in front of it to meet Sarabi at the side. With a great jump, I leapt over Sarabi, and we tumbled down the left side of the hill. Soon, we landed at the bottom, but Sarabi ended up pinning me down with a wide smile over her muzzle. "You can't always win all the time," she giggled.

"On the contrary, I've already won…_years_ ago," I replied, pawing at her face.

"Whenever we have time alone, whenever we're in the mood, let's always come here."

"Yes," I nodded.

After Sarabi let me back up on my feet, we both pressed against each other in our shoulders as we slowly made our way back underneath the obscuring trees, the powerful fragrance of our passion wrapped around us…

…Suddenly, Sarabi came to a stop. I was also shocked at what we both saw lurking out from the darkness the sun was unable to shine upon. An enormous paw was first to step out. Its fur was the darkest shade of brown imaginable. As the stranger continued to slowly emerge, a lion's black mane with white streaks along both sides of it wavered in the soft breeze. Small emeralds glowed from under the small bangs atop his face, and his large, intimidating shoulders shifted up and down as he came closer. Sarabi backed away nervously as I stood with a bewildered look over my face. I knew this lion. I haven't seen him for years, and I thought he disappeared forever after Vumi's death. But, he was here again…outside my body and in physical form. I was face to face with myself, the beast!

Silently, the Black Mufasa stared after us with powerful, steely irises. The more I stared at him, the more I wished he was nothing more than an illusion. But, his quiet growls were audible, and he left behind giant pawprints in the grass. He was real, but it wasn't possible. Could this be a coincidence? It couldn't be. Despite our different color scheme, he looked _exactly_ like me. "What…are you?" I wondered. He didn't answer. He only growled viciously at me and bared his wet fangs at me demonically. Then, he focused his sight on Sarabi, clearly frightening her. He took one step towards her with an aggressive growl. Was he after her?! Black Mufasa's approach towards Sarabi quickly brought me back from my distracting thoughts, and I leapt in between them, directing a defensive snarl towards him. "Stay away from her," I told him. Again, the beast didn't reply. He kept sneering at me, clearing resenting me for being in the way of Sarabi. He unsheathed his claws and dragged them through the ground savagely. I crouched into a pouncing position in reply. He didn't speak a single word, but he clearly wanted to fight. I saw Sarabi was still behind me, but she quickly backed away before I said anything. The Black Mufasa reacted to her movements, and he quickly leapt at me!

After the beast sprang at us, I leapt at his side and bit him in his shoulder in mid-flight. After I landed on the ground, I turned back toward him with a deep, bloody scar along my muzzle. The Black Mufasa turned back towards me with his own wound and with a hideous stare of hatred. Somehow, I deduced what he could be thinking. "Have you come for revenge?" After one deep growl, the beast finally spoke with the deepest and seductively cruelest tone of my voice. "You've buried me away for so long."

"I see. You _are_ the 'beast' that was deep within me. And now you're here before me in physical form."

"The flames of the wretched Cerberus allowed me to be purged from your damned soul of purity. Now that I'm here before you, I could finally do as I please without you holding me back."

"I don't like that look you gave Sarabi," I snarled.

"It was because of _her_. It was her that made you seal me away. It was because of her that you were able to defeat me. She caused my suffering, and I must make her _pay_."

"Over my dead body!"

The Black Mufasa charged at me once more, and I immediately tackled him back onto the ground. My claws ran through the evil lion's face before he managed to kick me off. I landed on my back, and the beast quickly bit into my abdomen. I roared out in pain and prepared to bite him back at his arm to make him let go. But, before I made my move, Sarabi entered the brawl and tackled the beast away from me.

As the blood ran from my new wound, I stood up and discovered the dark lion and Sarabi leaping, roaring, and swiping their claws at one another. The dark lion managed to strike her over her face. He raised both his paws and went to push her down onto the ground. But, Sarabi quickly slid under him to dodge and leapt upward to tackle him once more as her fangs sunk into his back. From midair, the beast quickly twirled around to throw Sarabi under him and crushed her under his back upon impacting the ground! Sarabi gasped out and was stunned momentarily. As the beast leapt back on his feet, he twirled around towards the fallen lioness and pressed his paw hard onto her neck, threatening her with his wet and enormous fangs. I ran back into the fight and pounced over him to pull him away from her. As we rolled around in the ground, I tossed him away with a powerful thrust from my hind legs. After I stood up once again, I saw the Black Mufasa recover during his fall to the ground and land back on his feet. Sarabi came back to my side, and we both ferociously growled at our adversary. The beast snarled back, refraining from attacking the both of us. Sarabi spoke, "What is it? What is it you _really_ want?" The lion ceased snarling at us to give us his answer in a calmer but grieving state. "Have you found…happiness? Paradise, even?"

I replied, "I have. I've found more than I believe to deserve."

"The paradise _I_ desire is nothing like yours. Because of you, I could never grasp it. But, I've been given a chance…to live the life I was meant to follow in that golden body of yours. Living a life…outside your overrated shadow…sounds pleasant."

"You're mistaken," I weakly chuckled. "We're the same. I wanted to live a life outside _your_ influence…which is ultimately my own."

"It is _you_ who's mistaken!" he snarled. "We were never the same. You could never attempt what I desired. You never enjoyed the wonderful sensation to kill. You couldn't even force yourself to take either Sarabi or Sarafina against their wills. And instead of simple hatred, you hold nothing but pity for both Ru-gal and Vumi. But, I show no remorse to any of those damned idiots. I would perform any _dirty_ ambition…and not have _any_ regrets."

"That may be true. But, those thoughts still have a faint echo in my mind. I still remember all those horrible, despicable nightmares I imagined since my depression. Those were my thoughts…_our_ thoughts. Do you not have those positive thoughts that I've embraced and _you_ most likely disgust? Do you?!"

The lion stared silently at me for several moments. Then, he sealed his eyes and turned toward the sky. "All I remember…" he purred. He reopened his eyes, and they appeared to carry a deep resentment. Did I get through to him? Finally, the beast sighed, "…Is sorrow." Insulted, I growled back at him. I might have to finish him, after all. But, the dark lion suddenly turned his back on us.

As he was walking away with us, I stepped forward after the beast. "Wait! Weren't you trying to kill us? Wasn't that part of your ambition?" My darker twin stopped in place, but he never bothered to turn around and face Sarabi and me. "I'm…kinda bored talking to you. I'll come back and kill you when I'm less disillusioned."

"What will you do before then?" Sarabi replied.

"If that Mufasa and I are really the same, _you_ figure it out. But, know this."

As Sarabi and I stared after these mysterious lion, he finally looked back at us over his shoulder. "I was given a new name a few months ago. I want you both to remember it before your beautiful demise. I am…_Subaru_." Finally, the dark lion continued walking until he blended into the silhouetted forest grove ahead of him. Before our eyes, the lion named Subaru disappeared.

After Subaru left us alone, I sat down and let out a tremendous sigh. "I believe it's safe to assume that I'm being challenged from above. I've kept the beast inside of me without succumb to the temptation it desired, and now I'm forced to do battle with him. This is sure to keep me on my toes." Then, a wet, pink tongue raced over the wounds under my abdomen, soothing the aggravating pain I felt from it. I looked down to see Sarabi sweetly licking over it for me. Then, she came to my face and purred, "_Both_ of us on our toes, remember? He wants me as well."

"I might've known you'd say that," I wearily smiled.

As Sarabi licked over the wound over my muzzle, I wrapped one arm around her shoulder to pull her closer. "Thank you for helping me out back there."

"Two lovers make a formidable team. And we always watch each other's backs, right?"

"Right."

"Anyway, you saved me, too. So, you don't need to think that you owe me one."

"Well, that's a relief. Come on."

With that, Sarabi and I stood up and proceeded together to continue our day. But, the both of us knew that lion would come after us once again. Today was just our first physical encounter with the 'beast,' Subaru…


	2. Entry 283: Route Venus

**_Entry 283: "Route Venus"_**

Out in the grass plains, I was hiding under the black shades under a blanket of leaves hanging from a tree branch. But, myriads of flies were there, buzzing around me and crawling on my face to siphon the beads of sweat running down it. My father's star was unusually brighter and hotter than a few days ago. Hopefully, the rains will come before this heat was so intense that all the water and grass will vanish and cause several of the grazing animals of the serengeti to leave the land. If that happened, we lions and every other animal will be left with nothing to eat or drink. Then, we would have to abandon the place we always called home. It's not like I wouldn't do it if we have no choice. But, it's just difficult to leave what used to be one's home, just like the Rainlanders.

The flies continued annoying me as they fell past me. I tried to swat them away, but more and more just kept coming. After one flew into my eye, I stood up and ran back out into the burning sauna beyond the shade. I looked back toward the shade and groaned in aggravation before I went elsewhere.

I decided to head back to Pride Rock and stay in the den the rest of the day. While I slowly and literally dragged myself there, I looked around to find others suffering under this ravenous heat. Over 30 elephants shoved each around in the largest watering hole of the Pridelands. They pushed their hardest to dunk their trunks into the water and shower themselves in it. But, not one was of any luck. They were toppling others onto their sides, splashing water on the shore where it instantly disappeared. As I watched, the sound of multiple screeching came to my ears. I turned to discover an overcrowded tree of monkeys. Several tried to get on one branch that lots of others already occupied, making it a very tight fit. Desperate for elbow room, they pushed as hard as the elephants below them, causing a terrible struggle. They argued and struck each other in their jaws violently. They even caused a few monkeys to fall out of the tree completely. I shook my head at them shamefully. All of this had to stop. Searing hot weather like this always caused fights to break out, and no one will listen to reason. All of this had to stop before it gets any worse.

I took the direction of that arguing group of monkeys and elephants and roared to make them silent. In an instant, the arguing came to a stop, and each of the animals looked down at me. I spoke to them. "That's enough. Arguing will accomplish nothing. Look at you. You elephants are splashing around so much that there will be no water to argue over before the drought reaches its pinnacle. And you monkeys are hurting yourselves over one tree."

One monkey screeched back at me. "All the other trees are filled up! Even a few leopards are hogging them to themselves so _they_ can sleep in them!"

"Nearly all the watering holes have already evaporated," the elephant leader added. "This is the largest one, the _only_ one left."

I looked up toward the old Jumba with a visage drenched with sweat. "But, you must maintain order within your pack at all times. Keep going like this, and others will suffer."

Jumba grumbled contemptuously as he stepped toward me. "You don't need to tell me how to lead my pack! How we do things is our own business!"

"For the sake of the other animals, I'll make it my business!" I growled. "I wouldn't be surprised if one the elephants get pushed into that tree full of monkeys, knock it down, and cause an argument between both groups! With this heat going around, you cannot afford to get angry!"

Without any reasoning behind his actions, Jumba angrily swung his trunk at me and flung me in the air!

After that enormous blow, the pain was too great and far too sudden for me to recover, so I fell hard on my side upon impact to the ground and after bouncing on it for a couple of times. That bullheaded pachyderm! As I rose to my feet, I heard Jumba stomping after me. I looked up and saw him raising a giant foot over me! I leapt out of the way before being crushed under that massive foot. But, Jumba flung his trunk at me again and caught me under my belly. He held me up in front of his face and glared at me insanely as he began to squeeze me as he tightened his grip. I cringed at the great pain as I was left hanging from his powerful trunk. But, I looked down at Jumba with pitiable eyes and purred quietly, "Jumba, please put me down." Jumba still frowned and gradually tightened his grip even more. But, after a few moments, his grip became weaker. The black elephant stared back at me mournfully as he gently let me back down on the ground. "I'm so sorry, King Mufasa," he sighed gruffly. "But, we can't go on like this."

I nodded, "I know, old friend. The rains will come to replenish our land; I promise. But, until then, please maintain order like you do every other day."

Jumba gently put his large trunk over my head, a friendly and apologetic 'nuzzle' for me and other animals that he towered over. "I will hold you to your promise," he replied. "For all of our sakes, you better be right." With that, Jumba turned around to his herd of elephants. As I watched him leave me, he spoke to his followers. "Everyone, forget taking baths for now. Just drink as much as necessary to live through the rest of the day and we will move out at once." I smiled wearily and nodded. Then, I looked over the monkeys to find them sorting out their troubles. While the majority of the monkeys were still sitting on all the branches of their tree, the rest settled down under it where there was still shade, so the complaints were kept to a minimum. It appeared that everything was in order again. I could go back to Pride Rock now. But, would the rains really come before a drought completely surfaced upon our home? All we could do…is hope.

As I was a few feet away from Pride Rock, the heat continued to pound over my face. I had forgotten how hot it was when I confronted Jumba, but I was unfortunately too quick to remember. As I started to climb up the 'staircase' of my kingdom, I heard someone call out to me. "King Mufasa!" I looked back and found one of the former Rainlanders running up to me. It was Kabaila's son. "Mwali," I replied.

"I want to say if you were doing well, but I kind of doubt it," he grinned uneasily.

I smiled back, "Heat aside, I'm doing quite well. Now then, what brings you back here?"

"I wanted to ask you…about your daughter, your majesty."

"What is it?"

I saw Mwali blushing while his eyes shifted back and forth frantically. It was almost like he was embarrassed and frightened to ask his question. I smiled suspiciously but quickly hid it away as to keep a straight face once I answer his obvious question. "Well, I…I'm quite taken…by Zuhura, and…I wanted to ask if…if it was okay if I chose her…to be…my mate."

"You're in love with my Zuhura?" I repeated.

"Yes," he nodded.

I knew that question would come someday, whether it was from either Mwali or Kiruu. But, since it came from this young lion before me, I could see a functional couple. Mwali was very proper and sincere, and he looked to be quite strong at his own right. But, he also glowed in a timid, self-reserved aura which clashed with Zuhura's extroverted nature. But, if he could loosen up, I believed that Zuhura would be genuinely happy. "Very well. You may ask Zuhura without any worry about me. She should be out hunting right now, so look around the grasslands for her. But, if she should say 'no,' I expect you to leave her without any hassle."

Mwali quickly nodded, "Understood, sir! And thank you!"

With that, Mwali happily hopped away in search for his crush. As I watched him go, I shook my head with a large smile. "Romance really knows no bounds. Who would think to find love in _this_ heat?" Finally, I turned back around and walked up the 'staircase' of Pride Rock.

Once I came inside the den of Pride Rock, I discovered only a few lionesses resting inside to escape the powerful heat. There were just six left inside while Sarabi and the others were gone. I would suspect everyone to be in here; were the others out hunting _now_? If so, then these lionesses needed to stay behind because I had recently impregnated them. With all the lionesses of my generation growing older by the day, more cubs were necessary. And this way, Simba will have plenty of friends to play with if I wasn't there for him.

Speaking of which, I found Anasa sleeping with my baby Simba in her arms. I quickly came to her and gently nudged under her chin with my nose. Shortly, she woke up and lifted her head to me. "Oh, Mufasa," she purred.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Well, with the drought growing worse by the minute, Sarabi decided to gather as much meat as the pride can to sustain them until the rains return."

"I see."

I took the moment to watch my golden furred son resting soundlessly in Anasa's arms. Then, I noticed something else in her arms. I looked over to her right arm and discovered a tawny fur pelt resting over it. It was another baby, and it looked feminine! "Anasa, I don't remember this cub," I said. Then, a familiar voice called out. "That's because she's _my_ cub." I looked over and found a grayish figure I didn't notice before resting along the den wall. Once it came out from the darkest shadows of the den, I met the familiar face of an ashen lion. "Busara!"

I quickly leapt at Busara excitedly as we circled around with each other. "I didn't notice you there," I laughed. "I can't believe you're here."

"I told you I'd come back," Busara answered. "Didn't you believe me?"

"You were supposed to come back in time for my son's presentation, but you never showed up."

I stood still and looked back toward the lioness baby sleeping next to Simba. "But, that there is more than enough for an explanation," I said.

"Yes. Sarafina was already pregnant for over 110 days by the time we heard about your son. The pride of Destiny Rock was going to escort us here, but she fell into labor the day before."

"She's so beautiful. What's her name?"

"Sarafina named her. Her name is Nala."

Nala. That's clearly a name fit for a lady. Sarafina _obviously_ named her. This cub would most likely display the traits her mother had opposite from the cub that inherited the father's. "Say, are your other two girls here with you?"

"Both Sarafina and Kayura went with Sarabi and the majority of the pride to store a food supply for the possibility of a drought. The Destinylands are no exception. After Sarafina gets settled here, I have to return."

"You're not going to stay?"

"I mustn't abandon my duty as the pride's shaman. If a drought does happen, there will be sickness."

"Yes, I see."

Suddenly, my drowsiness triggered a loud yawn. "Make yourself at home before you leave, my friend." Busara nodded and went back to his corner to go back to sleep. I went to my rock bed in the back of the den and quickly lied down over it. Escaping the scorching heat from outside the den, I slowly shut my eyes…

* * *

"_Daddy? Daddy, wake up._"

That was my daughter's voice. I slowly opened my eyes to find Zuhura standing above me with a gazelle's carcass by her side. "Hello there, Zuhura. Did you catch that?"

"Well, I had some help."

Then, I noticed someone else by her right side. It was a black lioness! She was taller than any lioness I ever seen. In fact, I could say that she's almost as tall as I am! Her build was incredible, so the strength she displayed thus far went without question. Along with her powerful, crimson stare, it further defined her great aura of masculinity most lionesses could only dream of having. But, it's not to say she doesn't have any curvaceous glory all her own. This black lioness was very pretty. In fact, she reminded me of a lioness who had a similar but more feminine stature I awed when I was younger. Then, it hit me! That lioness was baring a great resemblance to Sarafina! Then, that lioness could only be one woman. I grinned warmly at her. "Well, if it isn't Kayura. You've grown so much."

In a gruff, low-key tone of voice, the black lioness replied, "Wow, you actually recognized me. It's not so easy for me; you're even more of an old lion than when we were cubs."

"Is that what you call me behind my back?" I sighed in coy discouragement.

"Anyway, we got this to store in our food supply," Zuhura said.

"All right. Kayura, may you take that to storage? You know where it is, right?"

Kayura nodded, "Yeah."

"I'd like to talk with Zuhura for a moment."

As I said that, Kayura took the deceased gazelle by its neck and dragged it outside the den.

After Kayura left, Zuhura and I were left by ourselves. "Is something wrong, Daddy?" my daughter asked.

"Not at all," I replied, shaking my head. "But, you must be careful not to overstep your right to hunt. We always hunt in moderation and consideration for the other citizens' lives of the Pridelands."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Zuhura murmured, looking away shamefully. "I was having too much fun, I guess. I didn't mean any harm."

"That's fine, then. What's done can't be undone. Now then, I wanted to discuss your future for a moment."

"What's to discuss?" Zuhura wondered.

"Mwali came to me a bit earlier today. He told me that he was quite fond of you, and he hopes you would feel the same way."

Almost immediately, Zuhura stood up on her feet and scowled in frustration. "He what! Of all the nerve…!" Full of contempt, the golden lioness paced back and forth before me. I cleared my throat and replied, "I'd say it's clear that you _don't_ feel the same way. But, we can't ignore such an exceptional young lion. And he's clearly sincere in his words."

"Hmph! I couldn't care less!" Zuhura scoffed, turning her back to me.

"Now, now. Is this animosity still focused on when you two first met? It isn't fair to judge him by what one lioness did to you that day."

Zuhura didn't answer. I sighed wearily. This was all too familiar. But, I didn't want her to make the same mistakes I did way back then. "It's not healthy to hold grudges, especially over something so small. If you continue acting like this, you will be just an angry child who lives to hurt others." Zuhura finally looked back at me with a quiet growl, but I only looked back with a calm, unnerving expression. It wasn't long until she called back her verbal attack. She closed her eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Can I go now?" I didn't answer right away. It was clear that she didn't understand, and I wanted to keep her here until she did. But, this was ultimately something she had to figure out herself. Maybe she'll consider what I was saying once she was free to calm down. "You may," I nodded. Willingly, Zuhura turned and sulked away outside the den. I watched her leave until she eventually ran off with one leap. I only sighed as I stood back up. "My little girl," I thought. "It was long ago, but I remember acting the same way when I was younger. If I stayed as self-centered as you are now, I might not have married your mother."

A little later that day, inside the den of our kingdom, nearly all the lionesses of my pride were all gathered together to escape the powerful heat. Many grumbled and hissed at each other due to lack of discreet space and the little food they managed to put away in their stomachs. I entrusted Sarabi to take care of the pride once they're hungry, and I strictly forbid anyone to eat anything larger than a carcass' leg to save what was left of our surprise. Taka and I naturally ate more than the lionesses due to the simple reason of masculinity, but even we took our feast in strict moderation. However, we all had to go without the abundance of water we used to have in our home, for most of the pools had already evaporated and the last of them were occupied by the elephants. We all yearned for that cool and wet sensation to ease our great thirst. This was indeed a hard time for all of us. It's good that we were prepared for this, or it would be a lot worse.

As we all stayed inside the den, Sarabi and I lied down together on our throne slab with Baby Simba in my arms while the voices of the lionesses overlapped with each other. My little boy meekly threw his paws at my nose with a wide smile. With a smile of my own, I slowly lowered my nose closer to him and just as he swung at me, I lifted myself away so he would miss. I laughed, "Too slow, son." We repeated our little game while Sarabi watched us with a grin of amusement. "I don't think I ever seen your playful side from the outside before," she said.

I smiled back coyly, "Oh, you sound jealous. Don't worry; I haven't forgotten about you…um, what's your name again?"

"Very funny," she scoffed.

I looked amongst the pride to finding Sarafina leaving Baby Nala in Busara's arms and heading outside the den. I was worried. Sarabi told me she was behaving strangely during the previous hunt. She hardly spoke to anyone when she first arrived. She only replied with a small grin but nothing else. And that look she gave Busara when she left Nala in his arms…she looked faintly sad and resentful. It wasn't like her at all. I couldn't let this go on any longer. I picked up my son with my mouth and gently put him in Sarabi's arms. "I'll be right back," I whispered to my spouse. She nodded and decided to give our baby a bath. I stood up and discreetly made my way outside to follow my old friend.

After a while, I was walking along the borderlands, and Sarafina slowly followed from behind. I looked over my shoulder and spoke to her. "Did you not want to come with me?"

Sarafina answered meekly. "I didn't mind. But, what is this all about?"

"When you came back from the hunt, I noticed something was bothering you."

This was far enough from home, I thought. Whatever happens here, I wanted it to be between Sarafina and me. I stopped in my tracks, but I didn't turn around to face her yet. "Is it Busara?" I asked.

"Busara? What do you mean?"

"He told me that he was going back to the Destinylands…while you stay here. Does _that_ bother you?"

Sarafina wasn't quick to reply. I knew that was the case. However, Sarafina softly laughed, a fake, half-hearted laugh. "Don't be silly. The Destinylands aren't too far away. I can always see him."

I shook my head. "I'm not asking you to stay here. I haven't even made you to be one of my lionesses in the pride. You could've stayed with Busara, and I would never try to stop you."

Finally, she softly murmured, "Yes, I could've stayed."

I turned around and found myself facing the cream-colored lioness' tear-induced pupils. "But, _this_ is my home. It just isn't the same without you, Sarabi, and everyone else. Besides, Nala is to be Simba's betrothed, correct? As her mother, I have to raise her. My mother died before any of her teachings were passed on to me. So, I want to pass on a new teaching onto my daughter as I did with Kayura, and that's something only I can do."

I lowered my head and sighed indifferently. "I see. This is a pride issue, isn't it?"

"I promised Busara I would do this. I'm doing this for the both of us."

I sensed continuation to her words. "…But…"

Finally, the tears began to run down the lioness' cheek. Her voice cracked, "But, I'll still miss that lion…and Kayura, too. She has her eyes set to go into the outside world. Busara and I both don't like it, but she's grown so much that we shouldn't worry about her anymore and let her go. But, as her mother, I'll still miss her." It's as I thought. I knew that had to be the reason. I lifted my head back up and smiled warmheartedly. "Don't act like you're the only one in the entire world who dealt with any kind of emotional anxiety. It's not like you at all. You always spoke up no matter what mood you were in. You were the one who told me to open up and talk to someone about problems that pound on your chest. If I hadn't, maybe I wouldn't be here right now. You can always talk to me or any of the other pride members about this. It's just as you say: this is your home."

Sarafina slowly nodded with a gentle smile. "Oh, you're right. I guess I thought you and everyone else might not want to hear the complaints from an old lioness."

As she gathered the courage to approach me, Sarafina gently pressed her head against mine. "Thanks for saying all that," she purred.

"Of course," I replied.

Before I could say anymore, a faint echo from a roar far away came to us. "Help me! Somebody help me!" That voice was faint, but I could recognize it easily. "Zuhura?" I gasped.

"That _is_ her, isn't it?" Sarafina added.

"Come on, let's go!"

With that, Sarafina and I quickly ran off toward the direction of that cry. My intuition told me what might be happening over there, and that made me run as fast as my arms could swiftly carry me. I wouldn't forgive myself if _he_ tried to hurt my daughter.

As we followed the roar from before, Sarafina and I found ourselves running towards the mountain where I always visited Father's grave, Mazimwi. As I came closer, I noticed large pawprints at my left. They looked to be as big as my own, if not the same. I began to fear the worst. It _had_ to be him. We shortly made it near the mountain's base and discovered that Mwali made it here first and guarded a wounded Zuhura from his opponent, the evil beast Subaru!

Sarafina and I watched from behind a boulder as Mwali and Subaru growled at each other decisively. Sarafina was astounded once she set eyes on my counterpart for the first time. "He…he looks just like…"

"I know," I whispered.

"Aren't we going to help them?"

"No, not yet."

I looked back toward the confrontation and witnessed the battle between Mwali and Subaru.

After they both leapt from the ground, Mwali and Subaru leapt at each other once again and ran their claws through their heads as they shoved against one another. After one swipe from the young prince, the dark beast crouched back on all four of his feet to dodge and leapt upwards to tackle him. Mwali fell onto the ground but quickly somersaulted back onto his feet and tackled him back. Subaru demonstrated his raw power as he landed an awesome blow from his right paw across Mwali's jaw. The dark tan lion was sent back to the ground onto his back, and before he could get up, the evil Subaru grabbed him by his right hind leg and forcefully threw him at the mountain wall! Thankfully, Mwali recovered just in time to briefly hang from the wall with his claws upon impact and leap from it to fly after his dark adversary. He fell over him, and the two lions rolled around in the dirt before he launched the villainous lion into the air with the power of his hind legs. Subaru barely recovered and landed on his feet, briefly staggering afterwards. Mwali rose onto his feet and growled at his opponent ferociously. Subaru snarled in reply and crouched down, preparing to attack once he caught his breath.

Sarafina and I continued to watch the battle, visually impressed by Mwali's defensive prowess. "He's pretty good," Sarafina purred.

"Yes," I nodded. "But, he's on the defensive. We might have to jump in soon."

"Right."

Mwali panted wearily in between his snarls as Subaru regained his bearing and approached him threateningly. "Mwali!" Zuhura cried.

"Zuhura, get away while you still can!" Mwali replied urgently.

Mwali had briefly let his guard down, and Subaru quickly took advantage of it. He dashed after him with marvelous speed, and before Mwali could move, the dark lion delivered an awesome blow over his jaw, sending him spinning in midair before literally landing on the ground like a giant boulder! As Mwali lied over the ground, Subaru quickly stood over him and pinned him down with one single paw. Savagely, the beast bared his wet and shining fangs with the desire for the taste of blood. We had to come out now! But, before Sarafina and I could move, Zuhura leapt at Subaru and shoved him away from Mwali. The dark lion barely moved, and he proceeded to swipe the golden lioness away with one mighty slap from his paw. Zuhura slid across the sandy ground, a trail of blood left behind from her recent wound from her shoulder. With both lions down on their last legs, they were inevitably under Subaru's mercy. As the beast focused his attention of my daughter once again, the black lioness, Kayura, suddenly ran out of hiding and ambushed him! She leapt over the lion, clearly surprising him, and bit into his back. Subaru roared out as Kayura leapt off of him and stood still and growled at him. The beast turned toward her and growled back with an annoyed and sadistic stare. Then, he began to run after her. It was my turn. With Sarafina following behind, I ran from behind the boulder and ran quickly to counter the collision between them. As I came in front of Kayura just when Subaru began to leap at her, I jumped back at him and landed a swift and solid blow into his face in midair! Subaru was sent flying backward and landed hard on his back upon impact with the ground. He stood back up and found Sarafina and me growling alongside Kayura. Then, both Mwali and Zuhura had risen to their feet and appeared eager to fight him with the last of their strength. Subaru looked around and realized how outnumbered he was. After a few moments alone with his thoughts, he finally stood down and ran off to escape. With Subaru gone, the threat was over.

Mwali sighed in relief as he weakly collapsed onto his rump. Zuhura limped over to his side and purred to him. "Mwali, are you all right?"

"I'm still here, so I guess so," Mwali smiled.

Kayura, Sarafina, and I came to the two wounded lions and sat down in front of them. "Thank you all," Mwali said. "If you three hadn't showed up when you did, Zuhura and I would both have to die so young."

"It's no trouble at all," Sarafina nodded.

"Yeah, don't mention it," Kayura winked. "I couldn't stay mad at Zuhura forever, although she _was_ acting like a complete hyena to me before."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Zuhura shrugged meekly.

"When we heard Zuhura's cry, I knew Subaru must have been after her," I added. "But, I should thank _you_, Mwali. I might have been too late to save my daughter if you didn't show up."

Zuhura smiled tenderly at Mwali and nodded wholeheartedly. "My father's right, Mwali," she said. "I might've been lost without you."

"You don't have to thank me. Any lion would have done what I did," Mwali answered with modesty.

Suddenly, Zuhura's eyes glowed with tearful excitement and a hint of passion. "No way! I thought you would be the _last_ lion who would help me after what I foolishly said to you! I'm sure glad you were there for me!" Mwali smiled back warmly as he gently laughed with her. "Those wounds must hurt. Let me take care of them for you," she purred.

"You don't have to. I'm…"

But before Mwali could finish his sentence, Zuhura had already begun licking the wounds over his left arm. Ignoring her own wound over her shoulder, she was genuinely caring for his. As she came from his arm, Zuhura quickly went to Mwali's wound over his muzzle, suspiciously resembling a kiss! Sarafina, Kayura, and I sat there with wide eyes at what was unfolding. As a bond between the two young lions grew deeper than the ties of friendship, they completely forgot that we were even there. We stepped back and sat down to wait patiently until they came out of their own little world. Kayura just shook her head in exasperation. "Geez, who would think to find love in _this_ heat?"

Sarafina laughed, "You think so, too?"

Naturally, I thought nothing about it; I was happy that Zuhura finally found a potential soulmate. Perhaps, I could…at least _trust_ Mwali, after all…


	3. Entry 318: Distant

_**Entry 318: "Distant"**_

…A deep, wilting forest. There weren't many leaves hanging from the branches, and the grass was black as the darkest of night. They felt hard and fragile as I ran my paws through them. The sky was also peculiar; red and purple stripes of light ran across the dark navy skies, intertwined and aimed at one direction. Puzzled, I followed the streak and went deeper into the forest and deeper still. I pushed through the naked limbs from bushes and went around the crumbing tree trunks discreetly as to not provoke them to collapse. Finally, I came to this large clearing where a giant, dim spotlight was pointed over. The origin of that odd streak of light was revealed. It was made from clouds of smoke of the same color floating into the air from a peculiar dark geyser from the lifeless ground...

This 'cauldron' was full of warm, bubbling water that had a strange yellowish-green tint to it. Curious and mystified by this odd sight, I proceeded to come closer. But, after one step, a strong wind rushed by me. I looked away from it to shield my eyes. After it had shortly stopped, I looked back toward the geyser and silently gasped. Suddenly, white and pale feminine figures appeared around the 'cauldron' in a triangular formation. All three of these frightening beings lacked eyes within their very sockets. They were also very old and decrepit; it was apparent from their long 'beards' hanging from their chins and their bellies lacking of so much muscle that their bones underneath their skin were visible. They sat down and held their paws to the geyser, their claws ridiculously long and overgrown. Silently, the gaseous liquid inside the 'cauldron' began to react and slowly boiled right out of it. While this was happening, the great mist continued to evaporate into the air and stained the sky from above. As I stared upward to the creepy, demonic skies, three voices echoed through my mind…

"_Beware…"_

"_Beware the good lion…"_

"_Beware the good lion wrapped in evil's arms…"_

"_The one who lost true character shall lose loving memory…"_

"_Only a child's faith shall bring salvation…"

* * *

_

"Dad! Hey, Dad!"

Sitting in the grasslands, I gasped and took a moment to catch my breath. What was that just now, I thought? But, I never had to chance to stop and think about it. Someone was biting my tail. I looked over my shoulder and found a young golden lion cub with fiery brown eyes and tugging my tail. As soon as he noticed that I was looking at him, he let go and frowned at me. "Dad, you didn't see me catch that butterfly!" he pouted.

"Oh, I'm sorry, son," I smiled. "I must have been daydreaming. Why don't you let me see that one more time?"

"All right, but you gotta pay attention this time, 'kay?"

I nodded. "I promise."

With that, the cub ran off to the group of butterflies fluttering over a patch of flowers nearby and went to chase and catch a butterfly as I watched attentively.

The rains finally came! Dark clouds came over the lands one day and the gods shed their almighty tears upon it. Several, myriad days past and the lush grass reappeared. The watering holes were replenished, and the citizens of the Pridelands that migrated before had returned, one group after another. The atmosphere finally calmed down, and our home regained its tolerable temperature. A year almost past, and the Pridelands were flourishing once again. I returned to my usual routine as the Lion King… with a slight difference. Right now, I was teaching and playing with my little boy, the new Prince of Pride Rock, Simba… at least for a short while, much to my dismay.

I used to never mind hearing this call, but in recent days, it has been an irritating shriek that never knew when to stop. "Sire!" Once again, Zazu had called out for me. I clenched my fangs and rolled my eyes before I turned around to face him as he fluttered down to me. "Yes, what is it, Zazu?" I asked.

"You must report to Pride Rock immediately!" Zazu replied urgently. "Two guests are waiting for you!"

"_More_ neighboring kings have come to see me?" I guessed.

Immediately, I heard Simba audibly pouting with dejection. "_Again_? Dad, you promise you would spend more time with me today!" I most certainly did, and I wanted so much to stay with him. But ultimately, my duty as the king couldn't be ignored. I came to Simba and purred apologetically to him. "I'm sorry, son. I must go."

"But, Dad…" Simba groaned.

"Now, now. Sarafina still hasn't come back with Nala yet, so play with Zazu until then."

Zazu quickly protested against my word. "You expect me to…! I mean, I must come with you, right?"

I frowned apathetically and replied, "I'll leave Simba to you; don't let him get into any trouble. But, if he wants to tug your tail feathers or chase you around, let him."

"Your majesty!" he panicked in a comedic manner.

With that, I quickly turned toward the direction of Pride Rock and set off. I briefly looked over my shoulder to see a depressed look over Simba's face. I looked away with shame in my eyes. It's times like this when I truly discovered the inconveniences of being the Lion King. Maybe this was partially what fueled my desire to go out to the outside world. Out there, I would be… free to do as I please…

As soon as I made it back to Pride Rock, I immediately grew tired of one king's complaints towards me. Sitting behind him, a much younger lion's mane was completely messy and filled with dead leaves and branches, no to mention that he had a rather miffed expression over his face. "Is this how a princess of the 'legendary Pride Rock' supposed to act?!" he growled. "Look there! Your daughter completely ridiculed our prince! I have _never_ been so embarrassed!"

I rolled my eyes and quietly replied, "Your son was the one shoved over a hill down to a tree. What does _your_ embarrassment have anything to do with it?"

"Don't give me that! I will not tolerate any shame towards my pride as long as I'm king!"

"If you going to continue like this, I suggest that you leave."

"Why, I…!"

Before he could say anymore, Sarabi suddenly appeared by my side and snarled back at him at my defense. He quickly backed down with a nervous gleam in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and arrogantly scoffed at us. "What a disappointment. Come on, son." With that, the two lions marched off and began to leave the Pridelands.

I shook my head in exasperation and sat down on my laurels. "What a mess," I murmured. "Sarabi, why couldn't you have taken care of this?"

Sarabi quickly snapped back, "Well, excuse me if I was _already_ occupied by a shameless suck-up of a king!"

"Honestly, this is getting out of hand. How many prides are close by, anyway?"

"Remember? Word has been going around about the 'beautiful daughter of the great Mufasa and Sarabi.' Knowing that this pride defeated two of the continent's greatest threats, every pride and their grandchildren have journeyed far in hopes of making Zuhura their queen."

"How long is Zuhura going to wait until she picks someone she likes?"

"Will you be happy seeing our daughter with just _anybody_? I can't believe you would say such a thing."

"You know that she'll have to choose as soon as possible."

"Let _her_ decide who she wants to be with!" Sarabi growled. "Zuhura is _our_ child as well; it's not just Simba!"

I hissed back, "Sometimes I wonder! Nowadays, I haven't spent any time with him at all!"

Quickly, I regained my senses and realized what was happening simultaneously with Sarabi. We kept quiet as we stared at each other apologetically. It had been a long time since we went at each other's throats like that, and we both couldn't believe that we had an argument for the first time in years. "I, I'm sorry," I said, clearing my throat.

"I don't know what came over me," Sarabi gulped. "Excuse me."

Sarabi suddenly turned around and slowly ascended Pride Rock to hole herself up in the den. I knew to let her have her space when she was like that, but I still reached out for her, wanting to chase after her. I put my paw back down on the ground and hissed a vile curse I never wanted anyone to hear from me underneath my breath.

So many problems were happening all at once. By the passing day, the crevasse between my son and me grew larger and larger. Because the situation called me to focus on marrying Zuhura off to another pride, I barely had enough time to spend with Simba, my successor. In the same time, while I wished she would make up her mind and pick herself a mate, I would probably never see Zuhura again once she became the queen of another pride. And right now, because of this much focus on both our children, Sarabi and I was almost driven to verbally attack each other again. It felt like the royal family was falling to pieces, and so much activity wasn't allowing it to recover. Yes, I thought. I was truly discovering the inconveniences of being the Lion King.

* * *

In the middle of the large grasslands, I rested on top of a boulder behind a flowing river. I was watching Zuhura hiding deep in the tall emerald blades on the other side. Before her was a gazelle eating its fill by itself, and Zuhura was stalking it, coming closer and closer. After each step she takes, the prey had yet to notice. Excitement was throbbing within my pounding heart, but I did well to stay put and not ruin the moment. Finally, with marvelous speed, Zuhura dashed at the gazelle! It just noticed a split second before she made her move, but it was clearly not enough to escape. From a powerful jump, Zuhura soared over the gazelle and grasped it tightly in its neck! Crimson blood briefly rained over the ground as the golden lioness brought her prey down on the ground, holding it down until it eventually couldn't breathe anymore.

I leapt from my boulder and over the river to walk over to Zuhura's side as she stood over the carcass she recently won. "Excellent work," I praised.

"Thanks, but… you didn't have to watch," she replied, looking away in embarrassment.

"I have a right to watch my daughter succeed. And I don't have much time to watch over you."

As I stared down at Zuhura, I noticed a look of doubt and anxiety over her face. "I guess you know what I did earlier today."

"Well, too many kings are angry with me that I _always_ know."

"You should've seen him, Daddy!" Zuhura cried out. "So arrogant and chauvinistic! I _had_ to shove him down the hill!"

"Yes, I understand," I nodded. "But, you know that this can't go on."

"I don't like it! Why does it have to be this way? Why do I have to be married off to a total stranger? Is it because of Simba?"

That outburst caught me off-guard for a moment. I couldn't say that I was expected something like that to escape her lips. "Excuse me?" I asked.

"It's because you have your successor in Simba, right?" Zuhura continued. "Now that this pride has their future king, I'm not needed here anymore."

"How in the world can you say that? My God, I can't believe you thought of such a ridiculous thing."

Zuhura bowed her head with a dejected grimace and looked away from me. I could see it. I could see that she wasn't necessarily blaming Simba. "What is this _really_ about?" I asked. "Are you afraid?" She didn't move, but I saw her eyes shifting back and forth in a brief, frantic moment, as if she was trying to think of a way to respond. "You don't have to be afraid," I purred, putting my paw over her back. "As long as you remember your family and friends, you're never alone. Remember and cherish what you have, and you can move on to make your own decisions in life. Whether we're separated or I'm no longer of this world, I will always be with you." Zuhura finally looked up with an attentive stare. I smiled at her and held my paw to her cheek. "It's all the same. No matter what happens to you, you will always be in my heart and my memories. You have my word as a lion… your father."

She nodded and purred, "Okay. I'll… try. But, I still don't like it."

"He doesn't have to be a complete stranger, you know," I grinned, winking at her.

With that, I marched past her and left her to do whatever she was going to do next. I momentarily thought back to when she said she shoved that over-complimenting fellow down the hill. I found that amusing… and nostalgic. "Heheh. Just like her mother."

Everything seemed to have calmed down finally. Perhaps there was just enough time to myself to be with my son. His usual spot where he played with Nala was the western plain, so I wasn't too far from where he was. As I went on that way and walked a few yards, I stopped a moment to take a refreshing sip of water from the watering hole I came across. I waved my tail back and forth in satisfaction for the delicious taste. Then, for a moment, I peered down at my concerned reflection. It made me think about _him_. "Subaru… I wonder where he is now." Then, all of a sudden, my head swelled up in sharp pain. I hissed through my clenched fangs and held my head to try and fight the pain…

…_Do **you** love you?_

…_I staggered backward, shaking my head from those thoughts. But, I looked back up to my black counterpart who gave me a playful, accusing grin…_

…_Two paws hugged around my neck, and I jumped once I found my shadow clinging to me, his nose pressed against mine. I briefly felt lightheaded and began to collapse, but my black self caught me and threw me onto my back. Before I could rise back on my feet, he hovered over me, revealing more of his wet fangs in his sly grin…_

_Do you hate me? Do you hate yourself?_

The pain finally disappeared and I sighed with relief. "It's gone," I thought. "But, why did I remember that just now?" I remembered when I first saw Subaru. So dark… so demonic in nature… I remembered that I was terrified of him and wanted so much to get away from his embrace. I remembered that I was made aware that I may have hated myself back then. I wondered if I still felt that way now. I should know, but… I wasn't so sure.

"Shush, shush! He's gonna hear you if you keep on!"

"Then, get out of my way and let me look! Come on now!"

I heard voices behind me and looked over my shoulder to find the bushes behind me rustling violently. I turned around in wonder, for I didn't recognize those voices at all. Were they trespassers? "Who's there?" I called. In an instant, the rustling behind the bushes stopped. "Oh, great. He heard us," the first voice whispered harshly.

"Ain't my fault!" the second voice replied. "So, do we jump 'em?"

"Yeah, yeah! I bet we can take him if we catch him by surprise. So, keep quiet!"

"You gotta keep quiet, too."

"Just shut up; he'll hear us!"

I slanted my eyes with a judgmental grimace. It was hard to take this situation seriously, as they already appeared to be not so bright. "Just come on out and see if it's that easy," I said.

"D'oh! He heard us again!" the two voices gulped simultaneously.

Finally, one lion emerged from each side of the bush and the two confronted me.

I was briefly caught aback by their incredible size. The lion to my right appeared to be the shorter of the two, exactly the same size I was. He had a deep grey fur coat with a mane of a lighter grey shade. A large tuff of hair blanketed over his left eye, and he sported a unique crimson patch around his right brown eye. At his side and to my left, there was a much larger lion whose dark, off-brown furred muscles were as big around as boulders. He had a loose, spinier deep orange mane that grew down his back similar to a hyena and a deep golden stripe followed down and around his tail. Staring me down with wide and ecstatic brown pupils, I observed the two once more to see the similarities of their facial expressions. They must be brothers.

The larger lion approached me and threatened to strike me with an overhead swipe of his paw. But, he moved so slow and sluggish that I swung around him the moment he swung down at me. His brother quickly leapt after me at a much quicker pace, but I anticipated this and got his left arm with my mouth. I threw him over my back and into his giant counterpart. Already, the fight was over as quick as it started.

I took one step towards the two lions, and the larger one hugged around the other in mismatched fright. "Ahh! He's so strong, Big Brother!" he cried in a deep bass, dopey tone of voice.

"Right, right. Just let go of me," the other lion sighed coolly.

"Tell me, who are you?" I asked. "And what were you doing here?"

The lion with the grey mane shoved his larger brother away from himself and stood up to wipe his arms free of dirt with his opposite paws. "Sorry; I feel that I don't have to answer that question," he replied arrogantly.

"Excuse me?" I huffed.

"**Uganda**, let me talk to him!" the larger lion cried, shoving him away to take his place. "Hi there; name's **Bambari**, baby! I can't tell you how much I wanted to meet you, King Mufasa!"

"You idiot! Why are you introducing yourself after I said all that?" the older lion scowled.

I raised an eyebrow in perplexity of their odd, constantly conflicting characters. While indirect, I had at least learned their names. "So, Uganda and Bambari, why were you spying on me? What were you trying to do by attacking me?"

"Well, we weren't exactly trying to hurt you," Uganda replied. "I was going to say something before my stupid little brother came at you."

"I'm sorry!" Bambari exclaimed, bowing his head multiple times. "I couldn't help but test your strength. I've been looking for another strong lion like me for a _long_ time."

Bambari suddenly came in front of me and took my paw to shake it. "Okay, you got to see him; so, can we go now?" Uganda sighed.

Bambari growled, "Oh, come on! Like you didn't want to see him, too!"

Uganda scowled in reply as he looked away, slightly blushing. I gently pulled my paw away and cleared my throat. "That's enough now. You still haven't answered my question."

"Uganda, Bambari!" another voice called. "Is that you?"

From the bushes the two lions emerged from, a new lioness appeared to confront them.

This woman was tall and lanky in stature. She had a deep, dark brown coat with a light tannish underbelly and faded black spots along her body. Her stern brown pupils burned into the nervous Bambari and the perspiring Uganda like a mother with her children. I was caught off-guard for the moment I saw her. For just a brief moment, I felt a surge of familiarity from her. This lioness resembled my late mother so much that I had thought she came back from the dead.

The dark-colored lioness came to Uganda and Bambari and smacked the both of them hard across the head. "I swear, you're both still children! Were you not told to come into this land on your own?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. **Victoria**," Uganda apologized. "I tried to stop Bambari, but…"

"No excuses. Head back _now_."

"I just wanted to see King Mufasa, that's all," Bambari pouted.

The lioness named Victoria swung around to face me. Then, before she said anything, her jaw shortly dropped and she stared at me with a stunned, wandering glare. I could feel her observing me with her attentive eyes, appearing unsure of what to think of me. Deciding to help her break away from her thoughts, I approached her and spoke. "Excuse me, miss. I assume the three of you are together?"

"Oh!" Victoria replied, shaking her head. "Y, yes, they are. I told them not to trespass onto this new land that obviously belonged to a pride nearby. Our pride stopped to rest at the border after a long journey from the Rainlands, and I had to trespass your land to find these two troublemakers. I ask for your forgiveness."

"Yes, of course," I nodded.

"Well, I'm sorry to keep you, your highness. We'll be going now. The pride won't wait for us."

"Would you like me to escort you across the border?" I asked.

"I'm sure you're busy. We'll leave your kingdom immediately."

"Very well then. Have a safe journey."

Victoria nodded, "We will. Now come, you two."

With that, Victoria bowed down graciously before me and turned to leave with Bambari and Uganda sulking behind her.

As the three left for the border as promised, I turned around to continue on to Pride Rock. Then, I stopped for a moment after I replayed our conversation once more in my mind. I looked over my shoulder and watched those three go in intrigue. Victoria had said that her pride came from the Rainlands… the same lands that Kabaila's pride claimed to be from. Suspicion arose, and I continued my trek towards Pride Rock as I tried to link this odd puzzle together. Were these two prides related in some way? And what I've heard about the Rainlands in general… these facts seemed to contradict each other. I was certain now. Kabaila was hiding something from me.

I shortly returned to the vicinity of Pride Rock and heard laughter near the base of the castle. As I approached the familiar source of that joyous sound, Zazu who was perched on top of a rock noticed me and glided to land just before me. "Oh, sire! You're here!"

"Did something happen, Zazu?" I asked.

"Yes, actually. The young prince got into an accident and fell off a tall rock slab from the ground after I told him several times not to."

"What? Is Simba alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine, sire. In a stroke of luck, a rogue lion appeared and saved the young master's life. After I told Sarabi about it, she allowed him to stay and keep Simba and Nala company in thanks for saving him."

"I see. I would like to see him."

"Yes, of course. He's right this way."

Zazu fluttered back to the base of Pride Rock and led me to find both Simba and Nala lying down attentively before the one who saved my son.

He was a lion with a tawny brown fur coat and a moderate build for a male. He had a stylish, grey-black mane with two branching bangs hanging down the right side of his face. While he didn't appear to be too strong physically, a pronged scar over his left shoulder indicated that he had battled before. His most unusual characteristic was that I didn't see his eyes. He had his eyes comfortably shut, and together with his wide smile, he appeared overly happy that it seemed suspicious.

As he lied down, the lion noticed me there and greeted me with a casual wave. "Oh, hi there," he spoke with a relaxed, treble-sounding voice. "You must be 'Little Simba's' papa." Simba was next to notice me and came running and climbing up my front paws to stand up with an excited laugh. "Hey, Dad! This is **Zema**! He saved me after I fell off a big rock earlier today."

"So I heard," I replied. "What possessed you to do something so dangerous?"

Young Nala replied bluntly, "He wasn't watching where he was going when he was chasing a rabbit. _Badly_, I might add."

"Be quiet," Simba scowled. "Anyway, Zema saved me, and Mom allowed him to stay for the night! That's okay, right? He's telling me a whole bunch of cool stories!"

I faced this Zema character once again with a grateful smile. "Zema. Thank you so much for your help."

"Just passin' through," Zema replied modestly. "I beg your pardon for my intrusion."

"Did you come alone?"

"Yeah. Kinda a loner, ya know? Actually, I would prefer to head on out, but your lovely wife and especially your cute boy were so insisting that I at least stay for the night."

"I see. Then, I shall reassure you that you are quite welcome here."

"Much appreciated."

Zema and I exchanged paws and confirmed a friendly alliance with one another. I wasn't quite sure about this lion. I felt a mixture of relief and hostility towards him, not to mention that he appearing simultaneously with Victoria and those two other lions was rather suspicious. I simply ignored it for now; he had saved my son's life and I truly appreciated his kindness. That was all that mattered right now.

I turned to Simba and petted him over his head. "Say, son, I'm free right now," I said. "So, what do you say about picking up where we left off earlier?"

"Aw, but Zema's just telling us the story about a traveling nomad battling with a ravaging rhinoceros!" Simba pouted. "I wanna hear the end!"

I was briefly caught aback from Simba actually declining my offer to play with him. He wanted so much for me to spend the day with me before, after all. But, he looked so happy with those wide brown eyes and his lashing tail. I couldn't very well pull him away from the fun he was having at that moment. "Oh. Very well then," I replied.

"Yay!" Simba cheered.

With that, Simba hopped back to Zema and lied back down, readily waiting for the rest of the story. I decided to go up to Pride Rock to rest. I turned back for a moment and watched as Zema continued his story and both Simba and Nala were in complete awe of every word. Honestly, I felt kinda sad, disappointed even. I wanted to be with my son so much that I felt my heart aching as I watched Zema there in my place. I sighed dejectedly and continued on with my head hanging low. I could only make a promise to myself and to him. I promised that I would do better. In my mind, I promised Simba and myself that I would be there for him more often.


	4. Entry 319: True Character Part 1

_**Entry 319: "True Character Part 1"**_

I emerged from the den of Pride Rock and felt the warm golden light from the sky basking over my presence. Sure enough, the sound of laughter echoed in my ears. I walked to the tip of the promontory and followed that familiar laugh down below. There, I found Simba and Nala running all over while that Zema fellow chased them around. With much exuberance and joy, he caught the two cubs at once, and they lied there with wide smiles. Simba barely contained himself as he talked with Zema while Nala stood over his back and playfully tugged on his ear. They all were having so much fun, and they looked so happy. I couldn't bring myself to break them up just to play with me. But still… I felt irritable the longer I watched them. And for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to act on it.

"I can always find you here at that exact spot whenever you're melancholy. You're so predictable."

I looked over my shoulder to find Scar there with an accusing smirk over his face. As he approached me, I looked away and sighed. "And you always can't help yourself and humor my moods, much to my displeasure." Scar came to my side and briefly looked down to find the cubs playing with Zema. "Looks like this rogue's a big hit with the little runts," he said.

"Yes. He sure is," I replied solemnly.

"Oh, how _cute_! The king's jealous!" Scar taunted.

"Stop it. I am _not_ jealous."

"It bothers you that Little Simba likes a complete stranger more than his own father. Am I wrong?"

I scowled in reply, but I didn't say anymore. Denying the truth even further would make me look stubborn. "Why don't you do the natural thing? Chase him away?" Scar suggested.

"Excuse me?"

"We know nothing of this lion. Has he even said where he's from?"

"He saved my son's life. Royal protocol states that all debts must be paid. Letting him rest the night was the least I could do."

"Hmph. You're far too trusting. You never know when that will come back to haunt you. I'd sure hate it if anything were to happen to you."

I glared bitterly at Scar's wry words as he wrapped his arm around my waist and gave me with a playful, toothy grin. "If _that_ should happen, I promise to take _good_ care of dear Sarabi for you."

"Hmph," I scoffed, forcing a smile. "There's no need, though I appreciate your _offer_."

"Whatever you say, Brother."

"Your majesty!" a voice called.

Scar and I turned around to find one of the lionesses urgently running to us. "What is it?" I asked.

"A guest from the Destinylands had just arrived and request an audience with you," she reported.

"The Destinylands? Very well; I shall see them at once."

Shortly behind Pride Rock, I had met with Sarabi while Scar rested on top of a nearby boulder to watch. "I wonder what this could be about," Sarabi whispered to me.

"Yes," I replied. "I can't help but feel a little nervous."

"Well, well, it looks like our 'guest' has arrived," Scar declared.

We turned to our right to find the lioness who gave us the report escorting a familiar face at her side. "Busara?" we gasped simultaneously. Sure enough, it was the grey, leonine shaman of Destiny Rock. And his reappearance back in the Pridelands was a little unsettling. Of course, it was good to see him again, but I couldn't help but wonder what brought about his presence…

"Why, welcome back, Busara," Sarabi greeted. "How have you been?"

Busara appeared to brush off Sarabi's greeting and remained intensely focused onto me. "Busara, what's the matter?" I asked. He quietly snarled at me in reply before he finally spoke. "What… happened? How is it that there's a lion with _your_ face running around?" In an instant, I felt my body tense up for a moment. I was paralyzed by the confirmation of my intuition. "Subaru," I murmured.

"Yes. That's precisely what he calls himself," Busara replied. "So, you _do_ know something about him, just as I thought."

"What has Subaru been doing?" Sarabi wondered.

"After several weeks of investigation, we finally tracked all the clues to him. We believe that he is responsible for the act of the recent serial killings that's been happening recently."

"Serial killings?!" Sarabi gasped.

"So, that's what Subaru had been doing all this time," I confirmed to myself.

I never thought he would go this far, regardless of him being a part of me. To shed so much blood and end so many people's lives was something I could never fathom. But, I could hardly tell myself that I hadn't thought of that on many occasions. There was much that I resented, that I despised, during the course of my life. I was betrayed, shunned, condescended upon, and vengeful of many people, and in a corner in my mind, I demanded their debt at my expense. I wanted compensation for how I was treated, but it wasn't a thought I particularly acted on the majority of the time, if not at all. But, Subaru was doing just that, and I was sure that he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Sarabi garnered Busara's attention and spoke with him. "Have any others suffered these serial killings? How often do they happen?"

"I last heard that he reached as far as the desert pride far east," Busara explained. "We patterned his activity to assaults soon after nightfall. Considering his dark coat, he's very difficult to track. It's not to say he doesn't do anything in broad daylight, but night raids are more common. His targets are completely random; from the reports, he ranges from mutilating small birds to ruthlessly slaughtering several members of a single pride."

"My God," Sarabi gulped.

Scar nudged me by my shoulder and gave me an accusing grin. "You've quite the vivid imagination, don't you?" he teased. In response to his rude, snide remark, I snarled at him to keep him quiet. "Mufasa, I thought Subaru would be after _us_," Sarabi said to me.

"Subaru's doing exactly what he wants, unrestrained by me, his good conscience," I answered. "He's free to do any and every vile act I could never bring myself to do. In a sense, that's the one thing we still have in common: we both want to make the most of the life we have."

"So, a hedonist at heart, huh?" Busara purred. "This is all just one huge problem. I always known you to be strong, Mufasa, but you practice restraint in accordance of your situation. Subaru has nothing holding him back; he's sure to be a difficult foe."

"I understand," I nodded. "I appreciate letting us know what's going on. We'll be on high guard if and when Subaru reappears around here. Killing me is his primary objective, after all."

"Do you think you'll be able to defeat him?"

I didn't reply. I didn't know how to respond to that question. We were one once. I could imagine what the beast was capable of because it took me over quite a few times. But, even then, I was shaken at the limitless possibilities he could discover. It was evil itself, the epitome of sin. And I couldn't envision that darkness at all… not anymore. I asked myself why. Why was this happening? Why was I forced to fight the beast from the outside? Why?!

After our meeting was adjourned, the majority of the pride shortly departed the kingdom to hunt. The huntresses circled around Sarabi and Kigali as they discussed their strategies. Nearby, I lied comfortably atop of a grassy hill. I peered listlessly toward the horizon of the land around us, searching for any disturbances that were visible out there. Specifically, I still had Subaru on my mind, so much that I hoped to spot him. I wondered if he was nearby out there. Or was he still contemplating how to terrorize the innocent? Was he still out there living a life I had dreamed of… a life outside the Pridelands?

Scar and Busara were both comfortably lying against the side of the hill underneath me. Busara stood up and turned to me with a curious stare. "Mufasa, who was that other lion that was playing with our children?"

"That would be Zema. He saved Simba's life, so I offered him to stay with us for the night."

"Zema… I _thought_ that was him."

"You know him?"

"I've journeyed with a lion by that name a while before I settled down at Destiny Rock. We parted ways since then. It's odd that he did because he was particularly insistent on accompanying me. I tried several times to ditch him wherever we went, but he always managed to find me."

"What was he like when he was with you?"

"A pain was what he was," Busara scowled. "His stupidity knew no bounds, even to the most common of senses. He always smiling, laughing, and went about without a care in the world. I admit that he was useful in most situations, though. But still, he was such a lazy ass that simply took advantage of me and steals the majority of the food _I_ caught."

Scar entered the conversation and replied, "Hmm, if that's all he is, then I guess there's nothing to worry about, after all."

"But, I haven't seen him in years," Busara continued. "Who's to say he hasn't changed? And besides that, there's that _other_ side to him, perhaps his _real_ self."

"His _real_ self?" I repeated.

"I only seen it once or twice, but I never seen him open his eyes other than those times. When you see them, you'll know… why he's infamously known by the moniker, '**_Blue Ice_**.'"

Blue Ice. I wondered what that might mean. I had always known a mysterious, uncomforting feeling around that lion, but now I felt my body growing tense and apprehensive. I was grateful for him saving my son; I really was. But, in the same time, I wondered who he really was like. Was he truly as good and kind as he seemed if he wields the name, "Blue Ice" Zema?

"Heh. You sound as if you were afraid of him," a voice called.

I jumped as soon as I heard myself say that. It was my voice, but I didn't say anything out-loud. "Honestly, what makes you think that, Mufasa?" Busara hissed.

"But… I didn't say that," I slowly replied, shaking my head.

"Heh, heh, heh. Of course _you_ would never say that."

I suddenly felt an unsettling force weigh down over my body as I stood up and slowly turned around. Both Scar and Busara quickly rose to their feet as well as soon as we all stood face-to-face with the beast, Subaru!

It was Subaru, I thought! He came _that_ close to us without being detected by our instinctive senses; it wasn't possible! "Isn't it nice to see you three all together?" Subaru grinned toothily.

"What are you up to, Subaru?" I growled.

"This world… never ceases to surprise me," Busara murmured, visibly astounded by Subaru's resemblance to me.

"Busara… my favorite lion in the world," the beast laughed. "Yes… you and I grew up to be like brothers, haven't we? So much more than a certain someone…"

Subaru turned his attention onto Scar, giving him a rather sly, ridiculing grimace. "Much more than the failure, the dead weight, the weakling."

"What are you getting at?" Busara wondered.

"I mean how I've grown to favor you over that joke. I can't begin to tell you how much I wished that you were born in place of _my dear brother_, Taka. Isn't that right, Mufasa? You know I am."

"That's not true at all!" I roared defensively. "I would _never_…!"

I stopped in my sentence when Subaru approached Scar who both gave one another a similar, analytical stare. "Everything you think I am is true," he said. "A beast that stole your 'right' as king. But, what you call 'right' never existed to begin with." Scar briefly twitched after my shadow said that. "You never were acknowledged as a true heir, but our father pitied you just enough to let you live… because he saw a piece of himself in you. After I had returned from my supposed grave, little by little… I took back the life that I and _only_ I truly deserve. But, I kept you around on a whim, telling you that I loved you with all my soul just to make you feel better."

"Is that… what you really think?" Scar replied, his body slightly shivering.

"You were crushed, weren't you?" Subaru smiled wickedly. "You were totally destroyed when I took away your last chance to become a king after me. You ran off and bawled like the spoiled brat that you are, didn't you?!"

"Brother, don't listen to him!" I roared.

I tried to lunge at him, but he easily slapped me away with the back of paw. After I sprawled down the hill briefly before I dug into the grass with my claws to stop, I looked up to see Subaru stand by Scar's side and hug around him. "I don't hate you, though," Subaru continued. "I just enjoy having you around, just someone I could bully and torment. Given the circumstances, you have every reason to hate me. You probably want me dead, so much that you want to do it yourself; but there's just one problem." He pulled my brother's face to his, their noses touching. Scar gradually began to lose his composure as the beast burned his eyes into him, and he helplessly trembled from his legs to his jaw. "Your worst fear," Subaru answered venomously, "is the thought of me killing you. That is because, deep down… you still love me." Subaru then dug his claws into the side of Scar's face and threw him high over the other side of the hill!

"Brother!"

I rose back on my feet and charged after Subaru. But, he quickly faced me and lunged after me, butting me hard in my chest and sending me flying upward! The air knocked out of me, I was unable to recover and fell hard the hillside, bouncing several times as I descended to the base of the hill. After I finally came to a stop, I staggered about as I slowly stood back up. The form of Sarabi quickly came to my side to help me stand. "Mufasa, are you hurt?"

"Brother…" I murmured.

Then, someone else came to mind, and I looked up the hill to see Subaru and Busara locked in arms and rolling down the hill. After they reached the bottom, Busara vaulted Subaru from him with his hind feet. But, the dark lion landed on his feet easily. Busara roared as he ran after him and leapt after him with his silver claws. However, Subaru managed to catch him by his right arm with his mouth! He threw the ashen lion aside and let him roll over the ground. Then, he ruthlessly pursued him and swiped him with one great slash underneath his face that send him high into the air only to fall hard over his back again. Sarabi, the rest of the pride, and I growled after Subaru in provocation, but Subaru simply faced us with a wide grin. "Are you looking for a fight with me, your precious king?" he taunted.

"There's no way _you're_ our king!" one pride member shot back.

"You'll say anything not to anger me, won't you all? You never want me, the scary 'beast,' to turn against you, right?"

"Stop talking as if you are Mufasa!" Sarabi roared. "He's right here, with all of us! Leave, or else we'll attack! I doubt you can take this many of us at once!"

Busara shortly came to our defensive line along with Sarafina and the pride defiantly stood behind us with their full support. The twenty of us easily outnumbered the lone Subaru.

Still, Subaru was yet to be intimidated, his grin unwavering. "You've yet to witness my wrath. I have no conscience; I have nothing chaining me down from doing the unthinkable." In an instant, Subaru surpassed the speed of a cheetah, suddenly appearing inches in front of us! This caused us all to jump away from him to gain ground for a counterattack. Subaru easily predicted this and went after Sarafina first! In one overhead slash from his right claw, he struck through Sarafina's chest like lightning, four crescents of blood drawn from her! She wailed in agony as she collapsed instantly from the attack. "Sarafi-!" I cried. But, Subaru continued on by grabbing her by her hind leg and threw her into me, knocking me off my feet. I got back up and frantically examined the wounded Sarafina. She was hurting so much that tears were flowing from her eyes as fast as the blood she was losing. "You'll pay!" I heard Busara roar. Enraged, Busara went on a mad rush after Subaru to avenge his mate. But, Subaru spun around and struck him hard across his face. Busara didn't fall over, but he was instantly disoriented and unable to regain control of himself as his nose began to bleed. The beast started to continue his onslaught over him, but he was countered by Sarabi's tackle. Trying to gain momentum before he could recover, Sarabi continued after him. She threw her paws into his black mane and took him up in the air with her. But, to our dismay, Subaru recovered and dug his claws into her arms. Exercising full control of her movements in midair, Subaru pulled Sarabi into a somersault, driving her hard into the ground! Finally, he pressed his claw hard over her face, pinning her down and threatening to crush her head entirely!

"Sarabi!" I cried.

The pride were shocked at Subaru's incredible strength, so much that they hesitated to help. "Don't bother helping now," he threatened. "Or I will crush her head in like a melon."

"He's too strong," I thought. "He's able to inflict this much damage in single attacks and influence the battle into his favor, even when he's outnumbered."

"Now, give in quietly, dearest," Subaru hissed. "Whisper my name for me. Wallow in love for me, oblivious of who I truly desire."

I was in torment and rage as I watched Sarabi suffer underneath his weight. And I looked down to see Sarafina clinging to my arm, trying hard to fight her pain and cease her crying. I stroked over her neck to comfort her, and I focused my attention back onto my despicable shadow. "There; do you see?" he said to Sarabi. "There's who I truly love. She was originally my betrothed, so it's only natural."

"That's enough!" I roared. "Stop messing with everyone's minds!"

"I often imagine what it would have been if I had chosen Sarafina as my mate. I regretted not choosing her many times. At times, I thought I must have been out of my mind to choose a _killer_ over the perfect beauty."

"I said, that's enough! Don't you dare say that I don't love Sarabi! And you wouldn't do this to Sarafina if what you said was true!"

Finally getting his attention, Subaru scoffed at my in reply. "Look at her. She's clinging to _you_; she wants _you_ to help her. Poor Busara isn't on her mind at all right now. She wants _you_. Are you going to tell her differently, that her love for you isn't real just like you told her before? Can you honestly deny that you never harbored any lingering affection for that girl?"

"That's not…!"

"Oh dear. This doesn't look good at all."

Subaru and I followed that new voice by the base of the hill to find Zuhura and the rest of her generation, Simba and Nala, and the one who led them, Zema.

Subaru stared in wonder of Zema, one he hasn't seen before. "Who the hell is this?"

"Just a simple lion passing through," Zema replied coolly.

The dark lion loosened his grip over Sarabi and turned completely around to face him. "Are you going to try to beat me as well? The lot right here weren't able to."

"Then, I'll just try my luck. Otherwise, you'll try to hurt these kids here."

Zuhura and Busara's oldest daughter, Kayura, both pulled their respective sibling back with them while Mwali and Kiruu snarled collectively after our enemy. "Stand your ground, you two," Zema said. "I'll take care of him." He was going to fight him alone? We tried to attack him together as a team, but he broke us up easily before we made a move. How could he believe he could make a difference by himself? Subaru laughed, "You must be very eager to die." In a flash, Subaru ran at Zema with his claw hovering over his head. He flung a powerful slash down at him. But, to all of our shock including Subaru's, Zema countered by throwing his left paw to successfully clutch Subaru's right paw, bringing the dark beast to an abrupt halt in his strike! Their claws still locked together, Subaru tried hard to push Zema back, but the smaller lion refused to budge an inch. Their arms violently shook as the two lions' opposing forces continued pushing against one another. "You're strong, all right," Zema purred, a smile still worn. "And you have a good head on your shoulders for you to get around so many of your opposition. But, _this_ was your mistake."

"What is?" Subaru snarled.

"_You_ attacked _me_ first."

Before he knew it, Subaru was pulled forward to Zema, pulling him out of his favored position. Zema then gave him a clean and hard strike underneath the side of his jaw, sending him sprawling in midair! Subaru instantly recovered and landed on his feet. But, I noticed that he slightly staggered over his arms just when he landed; as soon as I saw that, Zema quickly came at him before Subaru attempted to and wielded his left paw to jab at his right arm. Subaru winced in pain and shortly fell over it, and Zema quickly got behind him and bit into his right hind leg. Subaru roared and fell onto his belly after Zema pulled him by his leg. Immediately, Mwali, Kiruu, and Kayura ran into the struggle. Mwali went to Zema's side and bit into Subaru's left hind leg while both Kiruu and Kayura each held down his front arms with one paw and kept his head down on the ground with their other paws. In seconds, the four of them had caught and overpowered Subaru!

Subaru tried hard to break free, but the four of them simply strengthened their hold over him. I was amazed. Zema had led them into a successful capture of Subaru, my 'beast,' when _I_ couldn't. I wasn't quite sure how he did it, either. I looked to see Busara literally dragging himself to us, most likely to see if Sarafina was alright. While I was watching the fight, she must have lost consciousness. I decided to let Busara tend to her while I followed Sarabi, who had just got back on her feet, to Zema and the others. We watched as Subaru finally gave up struggling but roared out in anger. "How?! How did this happen?! Dammit!"

"Kayura, knock him out," Kiruu said.

"Got it," the black lioness nodded.

With that, Kayura struck Subaru hard in the back of his head. The dark lion's head fell hard on the ground and he slowly shut his eyes, falling unconscious.

The threat over, everyone let go of Subaru except Zema, who kept one paw over his head. "Well, I say this puts an end to everything," he smiled affirmatively.

"So, I see," I replied. "But, how did you manage to beat him?"

"Oh, you don't know? He's you, so he shares your same weaknesses, y'know."

"My weakness?"

Zema explained, "Subaru likes to dash around a lot rather than wait for the attack to come to him. His wit allows him to alternate his attacks according to the situation in close-range combat, so he's not one to plunge in headfirst without a plan. However, his weakness gradually grows because of his body weight."

"His body weight?"

"Yep. His weight would eventually weaken the strength in his legs to the point that it's hard to stand upright. So, the logical thing would be to take out your opponent quickly before you wear yourself down, right?"

"Zema told us to stay put until he sees that opportunity," Kayura continued. "He attacks his legs to make him stagger over himself, and when he gets a grip on his hind leg, that's when we pin 'em down."

"I see," Sarabi nodded. "I never noticed that before. That's a brilliant tactic; thank you for helping us."

"You're too kind," Zema bowed in reply.

Zuhura and the cubs came to join our conversation while the rest of the pride circled around us in relief. "You were great, Zema!" Simba exclaimed. "You're, like, the greatest hero I ever seen! Isn't he, Dad?"

"Huh?" I gasped, pulling from my thoughts. "Oh, yes. Just amazing, son."

"So, what do we do with him?" Zuhura wondered.

"We take him back with us to Pride Rock," I said. "I'll have Jumba the Elephant help us in building a suitable cage to keep him in."

"Yes, I suppose that's all we can do now," Zema nodded.

"You go on ahead; I have to check on my brother."

I began to walk a couple of steps while I stared down at the ground with a deep sigh. I had never felt so dejected and inadequate than I did now. I went at this situation the same way I have always did with everything else before now. How was it that a complete stranger, a random nomad that just showed up out of nowhere, was able to make that hopeless situation work to our favor… when I couldn't? And I was even frustrated with myself for not being able to defeat my shadow. I was unable to discover a weakpoint in Subaru's attack pattern before it was too late for me to make a difference. I wasn't even aware that I had that weakness at all. I felt so weak… powerless… incomparable next to Zema, and my own son named him a hero. And as I looked back, I watched how everyone was in awe and gratitude of Zema's cheerful presence. I was grateful that he was there to help; I really, _really_ was. But… it wasn't me. I didn't do anything. For the first time in my life, I felt useless.

I proceeded to run up and over the hill to find my brother sitting still and staring hard at the ground below him as blood ran from the side of his face to a small puddle in the grass. "Scar!" I called to him. He didn't respond; his body remained stationary like a stone statue. I quickly approached him and observed the wound Subaru gave him. I was in sight, but still my brother didn't react. I purred to him, "Scar, let's go. It's over now; Subaru is caught. That wound needs to be treated, too." Again, Scar refused to respond. Was he so lost in thought that he had no idea I was here? He wore such a solemn, degenerate expression over his face, much like a face I had worn when I was thinking of Zema. I wondered if he was still thinking about what Subaru had told him before. He put one paw over his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "I'm sorry I let him hurt you, Brother," I purred. "But, you shouldn't listen to him. I never meant to make you suffer; I tell you that I love you, don't I?" I proceeded to lick over his bleeding cut over his face. Apparently, that made Scar finally respond to my presence, and he slapped across my face to stop me. I pulled back in shock of his attack and stared right into his cold and dark green pupils. "Don't try to make it better after what you did," he hissed.

"What do you mean? I never did that to you."

"Subaru is your shadow, a part of you. How can you say you didn't hurt me?"

"I am _nothing_ like Subaru!" I cried. "I would _never_ hurt you or say those things!"

"But, you were _thinking_ it… right?"

"What do I have to say to help you understand?" I asked in desperation. "What can I do? Please tell me that."

"Nothing… except just leave me be. Don't you already enough of a life to be involved in _mine_?"

Defeated, I bowed down my head while my brother walked off on his own. Then, I looked up to the sky in search of someone, someone who may have an answer. "Does my brother not want to be part of my life anymore? Tell me please." My plea fell on deaf ears. There was no answer. Only silence.

* * *

Later that day, we all returned to Pride Rock. As I said, I requested Jumba's assistance in building a tightly-built cage made from deceased elephant bones. I watched him carefully to make sure the cage was tight enough that he couldn't escape after he had regained consciousness. He was angry and wild at first, running about and trying hard to ram his body through the tall bones. But, he soon stopped before he hurt himself and lied down comfortably in the middle of his prison. 

I slowly walked a full circle around the cage, keeping a sharp eye on Subaru while he was focused on me. "Why imprison me? Why not just kill me?" he said.

"I'm not all that sure myself," I replied sharply. "Everyone would be better off if you were dead."

"That's true. So, why…?"

"Because I want to ask you a few things. I want to know who gave you that name."

Subaru visibly twitched and wore a disgruntled visage in reply. "So, you were suspicious from the beginning."

"Being that you spent some time outside the border, I wonder. I think you have some sort of link to the ones who claim themselves to be the Rainlanders… and this _other_ pride whose members I met the other day. I doubt that you're directly involved with this pride, but perhaps you may have led them to this direction somehow…"

"Maybe, maybe not," Subaru bluntly replied. "I'm not telling you anything else."

"That's fine. But, there's one thing about you that I'm _very_ aware of."

I stopped in place and gave the dark lion a well-deserved, taunting grin. "It's your temper. Like me, you want to live life to its fullest. As long as you're trapped in here, you can't. And I know full well that if I am denied something… I get mad."

Subaru roared and quickly lunged at me. But, I predicted his attack, stepped back, and watched a futile attempt of him struggling to get out his cage, his arm reaching after me. "I'll destroy you, I swear it," he snarled ferociously.

"Just stay put in here. In time, I'm sure you'll give up and tell me everything you know."

Fully assured that Subaru was no threat, I ventured back to the kingdom to see how everyone was doing.

After I had climbed up to the promontory, I stopped to find both Sarafina leading Busara out the den. "Oh, here you are, Mufasa," Sarafina said. "Tell Busara it's alright that he can spend the night here."

"Oh, yes. Feel free to rest," I replied.

"There, you see? Come on and spend some time with our daughter."

Sarafina slowly padded around to the opposite side of Pride Rock. With the help of Rafiki, Busara was able to treat everyone Subaru had wounded with proportionate green leaves spread over the scars and attached with tree sap. Sarafina was alright, it seemed; I was worried for her back there. But, I was still afraid of her emotional turmoil, which obviously stemmed from her current relationship with Busara. "Mufasa, understand that I have to report back to Destiny Rock about the condition of Subaru," he said.

"We just caught him; I'm interrogating him for another issue right now. Afterwards, I'm not sure what to do with him just yet. Just hold off on your report for now."

"Maybe…"

"Besides, Sarafina was really hurt back there. I'm sure she wants you to be close by right now. And don't you want to see how Nala's doing?"

"Oh, you're right. I've been working for so long that I tend to forget my priorities as a husband and father. Thank you."

With that, Busara proceeded to follow after Sarafina to join her, and I watched him go with a thoughtful, enlightened stare. "Priorities as a husband and father…"

I peeked inside the den to find Sarabi lying on our throne, licking over the light scratches on her arms. I approached her and met her with a light head-nuzzle to comfort her. "How are you feeling?" I said.

"A little better," she sighed. "I just never felt so weak before now."

I stepped over Sarabi and lied down next to her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm not as strong as I once was. I was a slayer, a trained killer to be hired in times of war. I'm not even qualified to return to be one anymore. That's not a bad thing, but… today was when I was made completely aware how much I've weakened over the years."

"Yeah. I know what you mean. I'm grateful of Zema's help, but I still hate that he managed to beat Subaru when I couldn't."

"The both of us were pitiful out there, weren't we?"

We looked at each other and laughed at our own self-pity. Sarabi let her head rest over my shoulder while I rested one paw over hers. "Are we losing our touch?" she purred. "Is our reign slowly coming to an end?"

"I don't know," I replied solemnly. "We can only do our best next time."

"Next time…"

I could feel the light skepticism in her voice; I could hardly believe those words myself. We both were collectively unable to defeat Subaru and were rescued by a nomad we had just met the other day. If Zema wasn't here, that may had been it for us. Maybe it's just as Sarabi said; we're losing our touch. Maybe after Ru-gal, Vumi, and the Diviners, we didn't have anything left to give. Was this as far as we could go as king and queen? What was happening to us? And what will happen to us now?


End file.
